Sustaining Unity in Diversity

Pancasila has proven effective as a unifying force for the different elements of the nation over the long history of this nation's journey.

DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI SUKIDI

Sukidi

Every day, this nation is haunted by the threat of sectarianism, polarization, and social divisiveness. This phantom has generated pessimism about Indonesia's future, the image of a failed state, and ultimate collapse. In this context, we should be called upon to collectively knit the bonds of unity in diversity. This is the spirit that has enabled us to survive and grow strong as a nation united in the midst of diversity.

Historically, the Indonesian nation shares a common collective memory about the importance of the spirit of unity. This spirit has been inscribed by the nation’s youth, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, in a pledge of unity that acknowledges “one homeland, Indonesia; one nation, the Indonesian nation; and respecting the language of unity, the Indonesian language”.

This monumental event exactly 93 years ago, on 28 Oct. 1928, confirmed the bonds of unity and identity of being Indonesian, held at a house that belonged to peranakan Tionghoa (Chinese descendant) Sie Kong Liong on Jl. Kramat Raya 106, Jakarta. This is a self-evident truth about the participation, love, and pride of the people of Chinese descent in being part of a community bound by the bonds of unity and being Indonesian.

The spirit of unity and being Indonesian also reverberated in one of the nation’s founders of Arabic descent, Abdul Rahman Baswedan (1908-1986), who wrote an article titled “Paranakan Arab dan Totoknya” (Arab Descendants and their Offspring) in the Matahari Semarang daily on 1 Aug. 1934.

Also read:

> About Youth Pledge

> Relevance of Youth Pledge

> The heading means “Stage of the Young”

A.R. Baswedan's brilliant thoughts on the call to recognize Indonesia as a homeland were finally manifested on the occasion of the Youth Pledge among Arabs on 4 Oct. 1934 who declared: “(1) The homeland of the peranakan Arab (indigenous people of Arabic descent) is Indonesia; (2) Arabic descendants must leave their individual lives behind; and (3) Arabic descendants [will] fulfill their obligations to the homeland and the Indonesian people” (Huub de Jonge, “Abdul Rahman Baswedan and the Emancipation of the Hadramis in Indonesia”, Asian Journal of Social Science, Vol. 32, 3, 2004:373-400). This collective history confirms a commitment to Arabian integration in the context of Islam and being Indonesian.

Our existence as a united nation without scattering is also supported by the historical fact that the nation's founders established this republic with full awareness of the spirit of unity amidst diversity, because this spirit has proven effective in uniting our people amidst Indonesia's diversity. This awareness of diversity is actually deeply rooted in our history.

The motto of the Indonesian nation, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which originates from "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika tan hana dharma mangrwa" by Empu Tantular in the Kakawin Sutasoma Manuscript, is recorded in our collective memory as a historical reference on the importance for us to maintain integration and unity in the midst of diversity.

KOMPAS/ANDREAS MARYOTO

Photo of the Youth Pledge participants published in Kompas on October 29, 2017.

This brilliant vision of the nation’s founding fathers and mothers of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which is rooted in our culture, is comparatively similar to the motto of the United States of America, E Pluribus Unum meaning “Out of many, one”, which was proposed by the founders of their nation, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.

Even though the meanings of the two slogans differ in the context of their respective struggles, the founding fathers of the two countries were equally aware that the spirit of national integration and unity must stand straight and strong in the midst of a pluralistic society.

We are aware that if pluralism is not bound by the bonds of unity, it can end up causing diversity to become a curse. We are therefore fully aware that Indonesia and America are two big countries with the capacity to maintain integrity and unity amidst their extraordinary pluralism.

Also read:

> Suffering as the Leader’s Path

> Freedom of Belief

Last but not least, rational optimism about the spirit of unity also has historical references in the foundation of our country, Pancasila, which has proven effective as a unifying force for the different elements of the nation over the long history of this nation's journey.

Each principle in Pancasila reflects the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation) in building Indonesian unity in diversity. The founding fathers deliberately founded this republic to be perpetually bound by the spirit of integrity and unity. Our collective memory and common struggle as a nation have contributed significantly to maintaining the spirit of integrity and unity in diversity.

However, it must be stress that our diversity will be torn apart if we do not actively and constructively take part in tending to Indonesia.

SUKIDI, Diversity Thinker

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.